The defensive pattern of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School was almost as follows:
After gaining possession, they would repeatedly pass the ball in their own half. When pressed to the point of being unable to continue passing, Hongjing defender Zheng Feiyang would pass the ball back to the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper would then launch a long kick, sending the ball far upfield.
Striker Qin Ao would immediately sprint toward the ball’s landing point. Sometimes, he managed to win the ball despite being surrounded by opposing defenders, but more often than not, he failed. In those moments, Qin Ao would press relentlessly at all costs.
While he fought to delay the opposition, Hongjing’s slightly disorganized defensive line—disrupted by the earlier passes—would seize the opportunity to regroup.
Simple, physically draining, yet clear and efficient.
“How much longer do you think they can hold on?” the assistant coach murmured.
The head coach of the Yongchuan Evergrande youth team did not answer immediately.
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School had taken tenacious defending to the extreme. As long as they could disrupt their opponents' possession, they were willing to expend every ounce of energy.
Such actions were highly unwise, yet the players of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School did exactly that.
They showed no fear of injury, continuously running, challenging, and defending.
Due to the heavy fog, the pitch was slippery, and they often slipped and fell. But without a word, they would immediately get back up and resume defending.
Amidst such relentless running, his team’s attacking opportunities began to dwindle.
Just as the Yongchuan Evergrande youth team coach was deep in thought, center forward Fang Sulun, who had shifted to the wing, broke through with individual skill and earned a corner kick.
The corner was delivered into the penalty area. Although Hongjing’s No. 7 striker Qin Ao tracked back and headed the ball clear immediately, the ball had already come dangerously close to Hongjing’s goal.
The girl on the neighboring bench nearly jumped to her feet.
Everyone associated with Hongjing No. 8 Middle School broke out in a cold sweat.
They held the advantage of star players, and Hongjing’s personnel shortcomings became glaringly obvious under such coordinated attacks fueled by individual brilliance.
Wen Chengye held his phone.
He had just received several sudden calls—news of his presence at the highway rest stop had likely reached his family. Without hesitation, he hung up on his parents and continued watching a newly received video.
The footage showed the same foggy pitch, with the match in the 43rd minute.
On screen, Qin Qiechu, dropping deep, received the ball near the center circle and drove forward unchallenged, dribbling past three players in a row!
As he approached the edge of the penalty area, he was abruptly tackled from the side by Fu Xinshu. The referee awarded Yongchuan Evergrande a well-positioned free kick.
Qin Qiechu himself stepped up to take the free kick.
The Hongjing players formed a six-man wall, tightly blocking one side of the goal. They were confident that even if Qin Qiechu executed a perfect curving shot, they could deflect it.
The referee blew the whistle for the free kick.
But instead of shooting directly, Qin Qiechu lofted the ball toward the right side of the penalty area!
There, a Yongchuan Evergrande winger was charging forward at high speed. Simultaneously, two other Yongchuan forwards surged into the box.
Like sharp blades, the three advanced. The winger met the ball with a gentle touch, sending it in a graceful arc that pierced the 29-minute deadlock!
Goal.
In a dimly lit corner of the highway rest stop, Wen Chengye sat alone by the window, while what seemed like a new dispute erupted in the main hall.He held his phone, watching helplessly as the referee blew the long whistle and pointed toward the center circle.
The final whistle was piercingly loud, almost cutting through the thick fog enveloping the entire field.
Wen Chengye's hand trembled slightly as he pressed play again. He quickly dragged the progress bar to the moment when Yongchuan Evergrande's trident broke into the penalty area.
If he had been on the field...
If he were on the field, he wouldn't have focused all his attention on the opponent's potential shot—that wasn't his responsibility. He could have recognized it was a pass. If only he could have tracked back in time, applying just a bit of pressure in the penalty area, that goal might have been prevented.
1-0.
Goalkeeper Feng Suo knelt on the ground, filled with regret. They had held on until nearly the end of the first half—just a little bit more. He hated himself for not being faster.
His fist slammed heavily against the ground.
Once, twice...
Dark red cleats appeared in his vision as someone approached.
A gentle pat on his shoulder.
Feng Suo looked up and saw Qin Ao's stern face. His expression was tight, his gaze fixed somewhere in the distance.
Over there.
Yongchuan Evergrande's main defender, Qin Qiechu, held up a single finger.
He grinned, baring his teeth, but his tone was deadly serious: "You're not bad. I'm going to crush you."
Qin Ao ignored him. He simply bent down and picked up the football from the back of the net.
The fog on the field grew thicker.
What did it feel like?
Wen Chengye watched the match clips Lin Wanxing had sent him, one after another.
He knew the referee had already blown the halftime whistle. No new videos would come for now, yet he still gripped his phone, keeping the chat window open with Lin Wanxing, replaying the footage over and over.
Chaotic angles, shaky frames, players falling and scrambling back up. Sometimes the footage was so blurry he couldn't help but wipe the screen.
There was even a moment when the ball flew straight toward the camera, and the female teacher filming couldn't suppress a gasp.
He kept watching.
Watching as Hongjing No. 8 Middle School's jerseys gradually became stained with grass and mud. Watching every defensive effort. Watching the match grow increasingly tense. Watching Qin Qiechu's breakthroughs. Watching that final, unstoppable goal.
If they had held on just a little longer, they could have taken a 0-0 score into halftime.
0-0 against Yongchuan Evergrande at halftime—a result to be proud of.
But they hadn't succeeded.
Just a little bit more. If only they had defended that ball. If only he had been on the field.
Once that thought took root, it began to spread uncontrollably, even overshadowing the reeds that towered along the running track.
But the track before him remained just a short stretch—only that much.
He was at a highway rest stop. He couldn't go anywhere.
The phone had stopped ringing, replaced by his father's furious WeChat messages.
I'm on my way.
Think carefully about what you've done.
The referee blew the halftime whistle, but neither side seemed satisfied.
After a first half of mad dog-like defending, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School's players were completely exhausted. Their clothes were soaked through with sweat. The air remained bitterly cold, cold enough to make one's teeth chatter.
Lin Wanxing temporarily put away her phone and urged everyone to head back to the locker room.
No one spoke.
The locker room was warm, the heating turned up high, yet the space felt unusually silent and oppressive.Originally, halftime was meant for the coach to summarize the first half and plan for the second.
But Wang Fa just sat there, pressing down his cap, seemingly unwilling to speak.
As for the students...
Just by looking at their expressions, Lin Wanxing could tell they were still dwelling on that conceded goal.
"Nineteen..." A brief number slipped from Qin Ao's lips, followed by a cold laugh.
Fu Xinshu habitually buried his head in a towel, his fists resting on his legs trembling slightly. Hearing Qin Ao's words, he said, "It was my fault in organizing the defense. I didn't expect them to coordinate like that."
He added.
Yu Ming said, "I was too slow to cover."
Feng Suo: "No, it's my fault. I could have saved it."
All their words were filled with regret—what they could have done.
Teacher Qian looked worried, glancing left and right, wanting to say something but unsure how.
Lin Wanxing hesitated for a moment. Just then, Wang Fa looked up and gave her a glance.
Though he didn't utter a word, the determination in his gaze was clear and firm.
Lin Wanxing took a deep breath and announced to everyone, "Wen Chengye is here."
Chapter 106: The Answer
At first, the players in the locker room were still immersed in the pain of the conceded goal.
They felt they could have held on till the end of the first half but were broken through at the last moment. Coupled with Qin Qiechu's earlier harsh words, everyone was filled with pent-up frustration. The feeling of being so close yet so far weighed heavily on each of them.
So, they didn't react immediately to Lin Wanxing's words.
After a while, Qin Ao was the first to respond.
"Who did you say?" Qin Ao tilted his head slightly, his tone almost fierce.
"Wen Chengye," Lin Wanxing said with certainty.
"He's here?" Qin Ao threw off his towel and stood up. The humiliation from the match suddenly surged within him. He glanced around the locker room, even nearly opening a locker. "Are you kidding me? If he's here, where is he?"
"I'm not joking. He boarded the bus from Hongjing to Yongchuan at 4:30 this morning, but the bus was hijacked, so he couldn't make it," Lin Wanxing explained the situation.
The students widened their eyes, some even rubbing their ears in disbelief.
Compared to Wen Chengye's arrival, the reason he failed to reach Yongchuan Stadium was even more unbelievable.
"Did he tell you that? He's lying, isn't he?"
"How is that possible? A bus getting hijacked?"
The students had little trust in Wen Chengye. They couldn't believe that the selfish, cold-hearted person would even board a bus to Yongchuan.
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